Remember Your Manners: Thank A Teacher

Today is my oldest son's last day of preschool.  For the past two years, he attended a local preschool at a wonderful Lutheran church up the road.   He loves his school, his classmates, and, most of all, his teacher.  At the end of every school year, we want to shower my son's teacher with gratitude, because we are so very thankful for all the hard work she did and continues to do.

As a teacher, I love receiving cards and gifts from my students, but I don't expect them.  The reward of my job is watching students learn and grow.  However, if you plan on getting your kid's/kids' teachers an end-o-year thank you gift, keep these few tips in mind.

CARDS:  Handmade and heartfelt cards from the students (and parents) are wonderful.  Remember, those teachers you are thanking helped your child with their writing.  Let your kid show off their skills.

GIFTY-GIFTS:  Teacher-themed gifts are so cute, BUT... your child's teacher may already have every possible apple-themed swag available.  Take a quick survey of your child's classroom and, I bet, you'll quickly notice a nicknack on every available surface.    Try to come up with a teacheresque gift that has a personal touch.  Do a quick Google or Pinterest search for "teacher gifts" and bagillion ideas will pop up.  Many of these blogs have step-by-step directions, creative puns, and PDF cards or tags that are ready to print. 

I couldn't resist a little Pinterest humor.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• Personalized Pencil Drink Sleeve by Finding Pins & Needles
• TOTE-ally Awesome Teacher Gift (yup, it's a tote) by Skip to my Lou 
• Spa items usually go over well.  Some of my personal favorites are Mary Kay Satin Hands, Aveda Hand Relief or CND Almond Hydrating Lotion, nail polish, and/or anything from Bath and Body Works.
• Plants or cut flowers.  
• Chocolates or sweets.

GIFT CARDS:  Gift cards, either in a card or in a creative holder, are fantastic (and my personal favorite).  Teachers love coffee, bookstores, going to movies, and eating food, so gift cards are a slam-dunk.  I found this tutorial for this adorable thank you card on a blog called Skip to my Lou.  What would we do without Pinterest?  No, seriously.  This "Thanks a Latte" card (see pic below) from Skip to my Lou took all of five minutes to make and my son's teacher loved it.

My son and his teacher.  Check out that card!  So cute!

THE GOOD OLD FASHIONED THANK YOU:  Yes, that's right, you don't have to spend a dime.  A good old fashioned "thank you" goes a long way.  In a world of emails and text messages, a handshake paired with some verbal gratitude will be more than appreciated.

Do you do anything for your child's/children's teachers?  If so, do share...